In the pharmaceutical industry, it is known to provide a continuous rotary machine of the type comprising a dosing wheel, which is mounted so as to rotate in a continuous manner around a substantially vertical rotation axis, and is provided with a plurality of pockets, which are distributed around the rotation axis, each for receiving a respective capsule, and are fed by the dosing wheel through an input station of the empty capsules in the respective pockets and an output station of the filled capsules from the respective pockets themselves.
During the transfer from the input station to the output station, each capsule is first of all opened and then filled with at least one pharmaceutical product, and is then closed again.
The dosing wheel comprises a container, which houses on its inside the pharmaceutical product, is mounted above the pockets, and extends around a longitudinal axis parallel to, and distinct from, said rotation axis; a feeding disc coaxial with the rotation axis; a plurality of pick and place arms, which are equal in number to the number of the pockets, are uniformly distributed around the rotation axis, and are mounted below the feeding disc.
Each pocket comprises an upper seat formed through the feeding disc and which is suited to receive and hold the closing cap of a respective capsule, and a lower seat, which is formed through a respective pick and place arm, which is suited to receive and hold the bottom of the capsule itself, and is radially mobile with respect to the feeding disc, between a retracted position, wherein the lower seat is vertically aligned to the upper seat to allow opening and closing of the capsule, and a forward position, in which the lower seat is vertically staggered with respect to the upper seat to allow the filling of the bottom.
The dosing wheel further comprises a plurality of dosing devices, which are equal in number so the number of pockets, are uniformly distributed around the rotation axis, and are fed by the dosing wheel primarily through a drawing station in which a given quantity of pharmaceutical product is drawn from the container and then in phase with a respective bottom to transfer the pharmaceutical product into the bottom itself.
Since the bottoms of the capsules are housed in the lower seats of the pick and place arms and the pick and place arms are radially mobile between their retracted and forward positions, continuous rotary machines known of the type described above have some drawbacks, mainly due to the fact that the lower seats may not be equipped with auxiliary devices provided with electrical wiring, which would be continually solicited by the radial displacements of the pick and place arms.